


Joyful Ache

by AdmiralSpaceTrash



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Lin has a crush, She doesn't handle it well, Yearning, young kyalin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27847822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdmiralSpaceTrash/pseuds/AdmiralSpaceTrash
Summary: Lin has a crush, and she's not the best at coping with it...Young Kyalin
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 10
Kudos: 114





	Joyful Ache

Kya would decide to leave just as Lin was starting to accept her feelings for the other girl might be more than platonic. She remembered coming home after a particularly close sparring session that resulted in Kya using a water whip to fling her into the ocean. Lin shot herself out of the water by bending the ocean floor with the intent to make Kya pay.

When Lin landed, laughter rang out, and revenge quickly became the furthest thing from her mind. Kya smacked a hand over her mouth, but her blue eyes danced as she suppressed her laughter. Lin should have felt livid. She hated being drenched in the ocean water, hated how the salt stuck to her skin, but Kya’s hand dropped and her smile made Lin forget she ever hated anything.

The beginnings of a smile played at Lin’s lips as she stared at the other girl. Her chest ached, but if given the option, she would live in this moment forever. Kya’s hand shots out to grab hers, and pulled her into a sprint so they could fling themselves off the end of the dock into the ocean. The cold ocean waters did nothing to ease the aching in Lin’s chest. When they resurfaced and Kya tossed her brown hair over her shoulder before splashing Lin in the face with a laugh.

Thinking Kya was beautiful was nothing new, but Lin this aching feeling of want was not something she knows hew to handle. Lin _wanted_. She wanted so bad. But what exactly she wasn’t sure. All she knew was, when Kya smiled, her hands would itch and her chest would ache and pretending to be grumpy all the time got a lot more difficult.

When Lin arrived home that afternoon, she spent an hour on the floor just staring at the ceiling. How stupid could she get? Having a crush on Kya. Lin winced slightly at the thought, but yes, if she was being honest with herself, she had a crush. Lin sucked in a deep breath wondering when the hell she started wanting to run her hands through Kya’s hair.

“You must have it bad,” her mother said from her doorway. “Local boy?”

“Girl.”

“Hmm… well, you’re going to need to learn to act way cooler. You can’t lay on the floor because you have a crush.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” she snapped. Her mother never mentioned any significant relationships in her life. Toph wouldn’t even tell her who her and Su’s fathers were.

“Try me.”

She knew her mother could not see the glare she threw at her, but she casted her best scathing look anyway. “I think I might love her.”

Toph laughed. “Does she know?”

“No, I can’t just tell her I love her. I’d look like an idiot.”

Her mother poked a finger out in her direction. “Hate to break it to you, badgermole, but you just let your feelings pin you to the ground for the last hour and 15 minutes. You’re an idiot either way. You have to let the people you love know you love them.”

“Is that what you do?” she asked, her own voice sounding incredibly small in her ears.

The smile on her mother’s face dropped, and Lin hated the sadness that suddenly surrounded her. “No, not always.” Toph turned to leave.

“Hey, mom?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“I love you.”

Her mother’s shoulders untensed as her lips curl upward. “I love you too. Get off the floor. It’s almost time for dinner.”

Lin gave herself another 5 minutes.

Telling Kya would not change anything. No mater what, Kya would go and travel the world, and Lin would still be here trying to forget the aching feeling in her chest. 

**Author's Note:**

> A story I wrote because I can see young Lin lying on the floor because she can't deal with the soft feelings of a crush. Hope you enjoyed!


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